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Valve Solenoid problem? Low Pressure.

I have three automatic valves controlled by one controller. When the valve for zone three is automatically activated by the controller the water pressure is low. The sprinklers pop up about half way and shoot water about half the distance they say they should.

But, if i use the bleed screw to manually turn on the valve the sprinkler heads pop up right away and work without a hitch.

Is it normal for the valves to have greater pressure when opened manually or is it more likely that i have a voltage drop between the controller and the solenoid causing the valve to not open fully when activated with the the low voltage signal from the controller? Or some other problem i haven't thought of?

Loosen Solenoid

Try loosening the solenoid a little and see if that helps. I had my solenoid screwed all the way into the valve and ran into the same problem. Now that I loosened the solenoid to the point just before it starts leaking water or turning on the sprinklers it works a lot better with the timer.

RE: Loosen Solenoid

Try loosening the solenoid a little and see if that helps. I had my solenoid screwed all the way into the valve and ran into the same problem. Now that I loosened the solenoid to the point just before it starts leaking water or turning on the sprinklers it works a lot better with the timer.

This is actually not a good idea.

These valves are fast closing acting valves. Water hammer happens in most cases when these valves close. The thumping of the hammer can joggle your solenoid loose, thus having the valve on for hours/days on end

RE: Valve Solenoid problem? Low Pressure.

I have three automatic valves controlled by one controller. When the valve for zone three is automatically activated by the controller the water pressure is low. The sprinklers pop up about half way and shoot water about half the distance they say they should.

But, if i use the bleed screw to manually turn on the valve the sprinkler heads pop up right away and work without a hitch.

Is it normal for the valves to have greater pressure when opened manually or is it more likely that i have a voltage drop between the controller and the solenoid causing the valve to not open fully when activated with the the low voltage signal from the controller? Or some other problem i haven't thought of?